Secrets
by Rose-Aki
Summary: AU Being part of the elite isn't as easy as it looks like. Tenten has a few secrets and the moment Neji finds out about them her life changes. Neji/Tenten
1. The deal

A/N: This is my first story that includes a little drama and I hope I can pull it off. Anyway I hope you enjoy it :)

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It had been a few months since Tenten entered Konoha High an elite school far away from her home town. At first it wasn't easy for her to fit in, but with time she made a few friends. The people in her group were pretty normal despite their parents being rich, so she got along with them with one exception. Neji Hyuga, the nephew of the notorious Hiashi Hyuga. Neji was known to be a genius in school matters, but in social behavior he lacked almost every emotion. Tenten, being completely the opposite of him couldn't understand how someone could be so impassive and cold around others.

So far Tenten loved being on this school, but there was a downside to it. Despite having a scholarship she had to pay the rest of the school fee herself. The only way she could afford this was that she had to work. No one knew she had either, the scholarship nor the job, but that changed on one evening and here begins her story.

Tenten left her small apartment and made her way to a nightclub in downtown. A month after she had moved here to go to Konoha High she had found this job as dancer in this club. It was far from what she wanted to do, but it was the only job offer that fitted in the tight school schedule and provided enough money to afford such an expensive school.

With her hair down from her usual buns and heavy make-up no one had recognized her so far and she hoped it would stay like that. She knew if anyone would find out about this, not only would she be shunned by the others but the principal would kick her right out of Konoha High.

Sighing deeply she changed into her stage outfit and made her entrance. When her eyes adjusted to the bright lights she quickly scanned the crowd for this evening. Her eyes widened when she recognized Neji in a group of people who had undeniable resemblance with him. Only then she remembered that today was his birthday and the men of his family had probably dragged him here for the occasion. She couldn't believe her luck. Couldn't they have chosen a different club? Why did it have to be the one she worked at?

All she could hope now was that he won't recognize her, but this hope was easily crushed after she had danced a few minutes. His bored and cold expression had turned into a smirk and she was sure he knew exactly who she was. Damn him for being an observant genius and damn his family for bringing him here. However she couldn't change anything now, so she finished her performance professionally.

When she left the nightclub, now without the heavy make-up and her hair in a tight ponytail, she wasn't surprised to see Neji standing outside waiting for her.

"What do you want?"

"Is that a way to talk to the person who holds your secret now?"

The arrogant tone in his voice annoyed Tenten to no end, but she gritted her teeth and smiled at him as if nothing happened.

"So?"

"You know I could just go to the principal and tell him of your little hobby. I don't think people like you should have the privilege to go to a school like Konoha High."

Tenten clenched her fists. So he was really going to get her expelled.

"But that wouldn't be as amusing as what I have in mind."

"And what is that?" What he was thinking of could only be bad, if the smirk on his normally emotionless face was anything to judge by.

"The homework we have to do are below me. They bore me and I could use the time for more important things. Considering you have so much time on your hands to have this little hobby of yours it's only fair that you do my homework."

Tenten sighed deeply. She had heard that the Hyuga was almost obsessed with training to be able to beat his uncle in a traditional Japanese fight. The reasons for his hate for the clan head were unknown, but he followed his goal with determination.

"Fine, if that's all I-"

"Not quiet yet. Another rule for me to keep quiet about this is that you give me free entry to all your shows. It would be too bad if I missed one of them again."

Now he was only humiliating her, she knew. He wanted to demonstrate that he had the upper hand and was so above her, but there was nothing she could do against it. This school was all she had and there was no way she would let this arrogant Hyuga ruin her future.

"Fine. Bye." She had to get away from him as soon as possible before she would say something she wouldn't even regret. With clenched fists she turned away from Neji and went in the direction of her small apartment. All the while she felt like he was smirking at her retreating back. This could be the beginning of a lot of problems for her.

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A/N: Please review and tell me what you think :)


	2. The day after

A/N: I have to say I was a little disappointed to see only two reviews, but thanks to SilentMidnight2 and anonimityisamust for reviewing. Enjoy :)

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The next day Tenten went into school with a bad feeling. What if Neji had decided it was more amusing for him to expose her secret in front of everyone or if he just deemed her not worthy enough to be here and told the principle about her job?

Taking a deep breath she entered her first class with her heart racing. She almost expected everyone to stare at her, but when only her friends waved her over her heart slowed down to a normal pace. When she passed Neji on her way to her desk their eyes locked for a moment and a silent agreement passed between them.

Neji saw Tenten join her friends and saw how she immediately began talking to them animatedly. He had to admit that he was surprised when he found out about her hobby. To him she didn't seem like the girl to do this for fun, but he was proven wrong after all last night. That hobby of hers was unworthy for a student of Konoha High and he disapproved of such behavior, but with her doing his homework he had more time to focus on his training. He would make Hiashi pay for what he did to his father.

At the end of the school day Neji handled Tenten a black bag with his books and homework without a word and she in return a card with the logo of the club he had seen her in. At first he just wanted her to give him a free card to show her how little he thought of her, but now that he hold it in his hands he really considered going. Somehow it fascinated him how she could be so different during the day than she was when she danced on the stage.

Considering his earlier thoughts it wasn't surprising that he found himself sitting in the club a few hours later. When Tenten entered the stage he saw her quickly scan the crowd before her eyes landed on him for a few seconds.

Tenten saw Neji's arrogant smirk and averted her eyes to begin with her performance. The whole evening she didn't look at him once. It seemed like he was really serious about coming here. She had thought he had wanted that free pass only to get a rise out of her, but now he was sitting in the crowd with a smug look on his face that seemed to tell her how below of him she was for doing this.

After her performance she was surprised to find him waiting for her outside the club. Was he going to mock her?

"What do you want now?"

"Can't I walk you home like the gentleman that I am?"

"What do you really want?" There was no way she would believe that he was nice to her without a reason behind it.

"I'm sure you are done with my homework by now. I'll come with you and take them to see if they are good enough to pass as mine."

That sounded more like him. Thankfully she was done with his homework, but her own weren't even close to finished. It would be a long night for her. Leading the way to her house she saw him look around with disgust.

"What? Not everyone can live in a huge mansion surrounded by maids who clean after you." She snapped angrily. Sure were she lived wasn't the best part of town but she hadn't invite him to see that, so he had to deal with it.

Thankfully he chose not to comment on her outburst and they made the rest of the way to her house in silence. She went inside quickly and gave him the bag with his homework. Without as much as a goodbye he turned to leave and she closed the door. It was already two in the morning and her homework had yet to be finished. A yawn escaped her when she sat down on her table to prepare for her math lesson tomorrow. This was going to be a long night.

When Tenten woke up the next morning she was tired, really tired. Three hours of sleep weren't even close enough to how many she needed, but on the bright side her homework were done. More dragging herself to class than actually walking she made it just in time. When she passed Neji she couldn't even master an annoyed glance, she was just too tired.

Locking eyes with Tenten Neji almost felt bad for making her do all his work, but then somehow it was her own fault.

The next few weeks Neji found himself every night at the club and after her performance he walked home with her. He kept telling himself that he walked her home, because so he could check if the homework she did for him were good enough to pass as his. However he knew by now that she was top of the class with him for a reason.

To be honest he was shocked to find out at which side of town she lived. It was dangerous to live in this kind of neighborhood and for a girl her age even more. Not that he was worried that something could happen to her, but he still found himself walking her home despite knowing his homework were done perfectly by her. She was fascinating to him in some way, that he would admit. Here she was having a hobby like this and living in a vicinity like that, but she still visited an elite school like Konoha High. It didn't make sense to him at all. Maybe there was more to this girl than he thought at first.

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A/N: Please review and tell me what you think :)


	3. Calling the deal off

A/N: Finally I had a little bit time to write. Thanks to SilentMidnight2 and Reiyaame for reviewing. Special thanks to mississippimudpiecraves and fanofthisfiction for leaving two reviews. Enjoy :)

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It was only a week later that he happened to walk by an almost open door where he could hear Tenten and their math teacher talking. It wasn't like he was eavesdropping, but if the door was open and he happened to walk past he could, just for a minute, take a break. If he listened to their conversation it was just a side effect.

"Thanks for staying after the lesson Tenten. We need to talk about your grades."

"Sure."

"Your grades have dropped the last few weeks and sometimes you don't even make your homework at all. You know that your scholarship can only be maintained if you have a perfect score."

"I am sorry I'll do better on the next test and I'll make sure to have my homework." Tenten's voice sounded apologetically.

"I hope so, otherwise I have to inform the principal and if she cancels your scholarship you have to pay the full school fee."

"I'll do better I promise."

That was all Neji needed to hear. Walking away from the class door he found himself surprised, something that didn't happen often. He didn't know Konoha High allocated scholarships. The people that went here had rich parents who were more than willing to pay the horrendous school fee and he never met someone who needed to have a scholarship for this school.

Slowly the pieces of the mystery Tenten came in place. Neji never even considered that Tenten _had to_ live in that part of the city or that she _had to_ work in the club. He always thought she did it as a hobby, never had the idea that she needed the money to pay the school fee entered his mind. For the first time in his life Neji felt respect towards someone, but with that came the guilty. Had he known why she worked there he would have never let her do his work. However he could understand why she hadn't told him, he was always cold and mean to her. It was understandable that she didn't want him to know even more about her predicament than he already did. After all the way he had treated her had proven her right. He had to talk to her and call the deal off.

To say Tenten was having a bad day would be an understatement. Not only had she fallen asleep during English, she was called out on her bad grades by her math teacher. The extra work from Neji and her job at the club were finally taking its tool on her and she couldn't do anything about it. If she called the deal off Neji would tell the principal about her job and she would be kicked out of school for sure and if she quit her job it would result in the same thing because she couldn't pay the school fee. She just had to work harder because there was no way she would risk her scholarship and with it her future.

As if the day wasn't already worse enough the manger of the club came to her after her performance. That was never a good sight, he only came around when she did something wrong. So far he had only one of these serious conversations with her and she wasn't fond of the memories.

When Neji arrived in front of the room he always waited for her when she changed back into her normal attire after her performance he heard a loud voice from inside.

"That was rubbish. Didn't I tell you the last time that you have to step up your game. If you are as bad as you were today there will be consequences next time. Do you understand me?"

Then there was silence followed by what almost sounded like a slap.

"I said do you understand me?" The male voice sounded even angrier than before.

"Yes."

"Good now get lost. I can't stand seeing you any more."

The door opened with a bang and an older bulky man came out of it. He gave a side glance at Neji before he walked off. Almost hesitant the young Hyuga stepped inside the small room. Tenten had her back to him and when he called her name she flinched.

"We need to talk." He tried to sound not as demanding and cold as he normally did.

"About what?" Her voice sounded uncharacteristic soft and broken.

"I call the deal off." He saw her tensed shoulders slack in a hopeless manner. To him it looked like she had just given up on all she believed in.

"So you decided to tell everyone." It was then that she turned around and he saw a red spot in the form of fingerprints on her right cheek. That asshole had really slapped her. He took a step closer to her, an unknown emotion surfacing in him. Her words didn't register in his head until it was too late. She took a step to the side and with one last glance she ran out of the door.

Tenten's lungs burned, but she didn't stop running until she closed her house door behind her. It was over now. All the hard work had been for nothing. Neji was going to tell everyone and that would be the end for her. They would shun her just like they did on the school she went to before this one. Unbidden flashbacks entered her exhausted mind and she could almost feel the pain in her shoulder and back again. As if the pain was still there she clenched her shoulder. It was the last thing she remembered before she passed out from exhaustion. The last few weeks and especially this day finally took its tool on her.

The next morning she woke up at eleven. She was missing school, but she couldn't find it in her to care. By now everyone would already be disgusted by her, so there was no point in going to school anymore. She should be crying to see the fragments of her efforts, but she felt nothing, just exhaustion. The whole day she just lay there feeling empty. Around noon she fell asleep again, haunted by all the thing she thought she could finally leave behind.

A knock on her front door woke her up. It was already dark outside and she wondered who it could be. No one from school knew where she lived and it was her day off so it couldn't be her boss. Slowly she walked to the door and opened it.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

Despite not wanting to see Neji she couldn't find the energy in herself to fight with him. Their eyes locked for a moment before she stepped back to let him in.

Neji had only seen a glimpse of her eyes, but that was enough to make something deep inside him hurt. Her normally bright brown eyes looked in so much pain and for the first time he saw how much she must have suffered in her life. It made him wonder how much of a facade she wore around school. Maybe they were more similar than he thought.

Slowly he stepped closer to her and pulled her chin up so he could look at her cheek. The now purple print of a hand let anger well up inside him. How could someone dare to hurt her. Never again would he let that asshole or anyone else hurt her. Softly he stroked her cheek. The motion seemed to wake her out of her trance because she flinched and pulled away immediately.

"What do you want? Did you came to laugh at me or tell me from the principal that I am kicked out?" Her question lacked her usual feistiness, but it was all it took for him to remember the reason for coming here in the first place.

"When I said 'I call the deal off' I didn't mean that I would tell anyone about your secret."

At that she turned around to face him once more. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I mean it." He didn't know if she would believe him. There was doubt in her eyes and he knew that his behavior so far didn't give her a reason to trust him.

"Why would you do that?"

Somehow a feeling told him that mentioning her scholarship right now would not be a good idea. Clearly she didn't trust him with her job secret, so she would trust him even lesser if she knew he found out about her scholarship. However he needed to say something before she got even more suspicious.

"I want you to train with me, be my sparring partner. It would be more useful to me." He knew it was only the half-truth. Sure he needed a sparring partner and he would never ask his uncle, but somehow he found himself wanting to spend more time with her. She touched a part of his heart that he thought didn't exist any longer after his father's dead. It was strange for him that these unknown feelings were surfacing around her and he wanted to find out why she was the one to provoke them.

"Be your sparring partner in karate? I was good at that before-" Here she stopped before shaking her head and continuing. "Never mind. So that's your new condition?"

"It's optional. I won't force you." He didn't want her to do it because it was an obligation. If she decided to train with him he wanted her to do it because she wanted to.

"You won't tell anyone about my job no matter if I decide to train with you or not?"

He nodded in confirmation.

"Then I'll do it."

One side of his mouth tugged slightly upwards, the closest to a smile he had come since his father passed away.

"Alright we will begin tomorrow after school. Don't expect me to go easy on you." With that he turned to the door to leave when he heard her speak up again.

"Neji." He turned around and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a small smile on her lips, knowing he put it there. "Thank you."

Tenten watched Neji nod before he opened the door and left. She still couldn't believe what had happened since he stepped through her front door. Before he arrived she had been desperate, thinking that she would be kicked out of school and now she felt new hope rise inside her. This guy was a mystery to her. He had a cold demeanor, but then he could also be caring and understanding.

She touched her sore cheek thoughtfully. It had been so long since she felt someone treat her with care. It had felt so nice how he stroked her cheek that for a moment she had felt loved. She shock her head with a small smile on her face, maybe she could try to be happy.

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A/N: Please review and tell me what you think :)


	4. Closer

A/N: First of all thanks to mississippimudpiecraves for reviewing. Seeing that people didn't seemed to like this story as much as I hoped I have shortened it. I never discontinued my stories, so I won't do it this time either. The next chapter will be the last.

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The next morning when she entered school no one looked weirdly at her and her friends greeted her enthusiastically like every morning. She couldn't help but be thankful for this normality. After school she waited at the front gate for Neji.

Tenten knew she shouldn't be surprised when he wordlessly lead her to an expensive looking car. However when they arrived in front of a huge mansion she couldn't stop her jaw from dropping. She knew Neji's uncle was rich, but this was just ridiculous. Somehow she was glad she still wore her school uniform, because none of her every day clothes were fancy enough to be even a maid in this mansion. A side glance at Neji told her that he was not affected by the whole luxury, of course he grew up here. What was luxury for her was normality for him, so she wasn't so surprised when they went past a pool area that was bigger than her apartment and the others next to it together. When the next door opened however her eyes widened and she gasped.

"You have your own dojo?"

"It's more like a training area and it's not my own it's my uncle's and I can use it." When he mentioned his uncle his voice got cold, a detail she realized but didn't ask him about. Another matter was more pressing anyway.

"Are you sure it's alright for me to be here?"

Somehow she felt unworthy of this place. He knew where she lived and even thought he had never commented on it she had seen his look when they went to her apartment the first time.

"Of course, you are my guest. You can change over there." He pointed at a door. "When you're ready come back out and we begin."

She nodded and before closing the door she saw him entering a room opposite of hers, probably to change as well. When she came out in her school sport uniform and saw him in traditional Japanese fighting clothes she couldn't help but think about their social status again. She was never as aware of the worlds that lay between them as right now.

"So how much do you know about karate?"

"I have done it for three year, but since entering this school I didn't have time for it."

None of them mentioned it, but it was not only a time but also a money problem. Training sessions in a dojo were expensive and even renting a training ground for a few hours was not cheap.

"Alright we'll spar so I can see how skilled you are."

They had been sparring for three hours and Tenten couldn't remember a time she was physical this spent. Breathing heavily she sat down on the tatami mats while Neji still looked ready to train more.

"Are you hungry?" She was surprised that he was the first to speak up.

"It's alright, I don't want to disturb your family dinner." She saw his eyes turn colder at her words.

"I don't eat with my cousins or uncle. I always eat alone." He seemed deep in thoughts for a moment before he turned fully to her and continued. "Change and then we'll eat."

When they entered the dinning hall, because in Tenten's eyes this wasn't a normal room anymore, the food was already served. She couldn't stand the silence between them while they ate, so she looked up and met his eyes before speaking up.

"So how long have you been doing karate?"

"All my life. As soon as I could stand I learned it." He saw her give him a small smile before she turned back to eating her noodles. For only practicing this sport for three years he had to admit that she was good, but there was still something he wondered about. "You weren't bad, but you move your right shoulder a little odd. Are you aware of that?"

When she flinched and almost dropped her chopsticks he knew that there was more to her protective stance during their match than she let on. He had thought someone taught her the wrong stance, but now he saw that something else must be the matter.

"My shoulder got injured." Her answer pulled him out of his thoughts. He knew that his simple observation was turning into a really private conversation, but he had to know. No, he wanted to know.

"How?"

When she heard his question she looked up for the first time since this theme had been brought up. He saw her search in his eyes if she could trust him and after a few seconds she seemed to have made her decision and spoke up.

"Before I came to Konoha High I visited another elite school. Somehow one of my so called 'friends' found out that I wasn't as loaded as them. Let's just say they didn't took it well." She laughed without humor and subconsciously lay a hand on her shoulder. "My shoulder had to pay the price for me being scum in their eyes."

Neji saw a far away look enter her eyes and could imagine what she was thinking about. His own fists clenched under the table and anger welled up in him. How could people be this cruel to her? He felt the need to protect her. This thought and the intensity of his feelings came crashing down on him with full force in this moment. He didn't know what all of this meant.

"Well the teachers interrupted before I could defend myself. Of course they put the blame on me for the fight. I got kicked out and went to Konoha High." She finished her story and met his eyes.

For a moment she saw something flicker in his eyes and she wondered what he was thinking about. She hadn't meant to reveal this detail of her past to him, but when he had asked she had felt like she could trust him, he hadn't revealed her other secret to anyone after all. Only now she realized how much she already trusted him and it scared her. She wasn't used to trusting people anymore.

From this day on they fell in a comfortable routine. After school they trained and then they went to the club when she had to work. Slowly the months passed by without them really noticing it.

When it was time for holidays Ino had the great idea to spend them in the huge Hyuga mansion by the beach. Neji had a karate tournament in the first week of the holidays, so he had to stay behind. Tenten, being his sparring partner, volunteered to keep him company and train with him up until the decisive day. While their friends were already a week in the beach house Neji's tournament finally began.

Tenten stayed at the side line watching every match of Neji until he reached the final. It didn't surprise her that he won in the end, but she couldn't help the happiness she felt for him. In all the months they had been training they had gotten closer and slowly she began to trust him more than anyone.

When the victory ceremony was over and Neji came over to her with what Hyugas would call a smile, she couldn't help but smile brightly and hug him. Normally he wasn't fond of physical contact outside of a match but with her he accepted it and, dare he say it, even enjoyed it. While he returned the embrace he thought that when meeting her for the first time he never thought they would get this close, but the more time he spend with her the more he trusted her and slowly she was opening a part of his heart he thought he lost a long time ago.

"Tenten is that you?" A rude and taunt voice cut into his thoughts and he felt the girl in his arms tense immediately. When Tenten pulled away from him and their eyes met for a second he could see an unreadable expression in hers.

Tenten felt like someone had poured ice cold water over her head. She knew that voice all to well and the hurting memories that came with it. It had been awhile and she had hoped to never see that person again, the one that knew even more about her bad past.

"Mikari." She addressed the blond girl who stood now surrounded by three other girls in front of them. Whatever these four would say to her she decided that it wouldn't affect her, but of course Mikari knew how to insult her.

"So it's really you. Who would have thought that you caught yourself a boyfriend and a champ none the less." Mikari's eyes looked over to Neji before she continued. "But what would he say if I told him the truth about you? Luckily you already know the feeling of rejection so it won't be something new for you. I mean who would love someone who even their own parents left behind?"

It felt like a knife stabbed her through the heart, a feeling she hadn't felt in such a long time but there it was again. Her past was back to haunt her in the form of her former classmates. She wouldn't cry in front of them no matter how much these words hurt her. She didn't know what to say or what to do and even thought Neji wasn't her boyfriend like Mikari assumed she still cared more for his opinion on her than about any one else's. The very own voice from the man she was thinking about pulled her out of her thoughts and self-consciousness.

"Envy is such an ugly thing but to people like you it fits." His tone was ice cold as he spoke to the four girls. Then she felt his hand on the small of her back and he spoke in a soft tone to her. "Let's go Tenten these people aren't worth it."

Surprised by his words and behavior she looked at him. She had been scared to see rejection and disdain in his eyes but they looked softly at her and gently he lead her out of the hall and to his car.

They arrived late at the Hyuga mansion by the beach. Tenten had been quiet the whole drive from the fighting arena to here and it worried Neji. No that Tenten was as talkative as Ino or Sakura, but for her to say nothing at all was strange. He had a feeling that the meeting with her old classmates had saddened her more than she let on, but he wouldn't force her to tell him. If she wanted to talk he would be there for her, but she had to want it.

When they entered the huge house all lights were already out, so everyone must be asleep by now. Because the guest rooms were probably already taken by their friends Neji lead Tenten to his room. He would let her have the bed and sleep on his expensive but totally uncomfortable couch.

Without a word she entered his bathroom to change and he did the same in his room. He had already lay down on the couch and got as comfortable as he could when she reentered the bedroom again. Her next words surprised him.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch. The bed is big enough for both of us."

"Are you sure?" He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. He knew that she hadn't made the best experience with physical contact, seeing that her boss had hit her and her old classmates had almost broken her shoulder.

"Yes, I trust you." Her voice was soft, but she didn't sound hesitant, just tired.

With another look at her to make sure she was really alright with the sleeping arrangement he stood up and lay down next to her. A few minutes later he could hear her soft breathing. Calmed by the sound of it he fell asleep shortly after.


	5. Her last secret and his secret

A/N: Thanks to Reiyaame and fanofthisfiction for reviewing. On to the final chapter.

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Neji woke up in the middle of the night to hear soft whimpering. He knew immediately the source of it as he look next to him. The moonlight was bright enough for him to see the tears rolling down Tenten's cheeks from under her closed eyes. The meeting with her old classmates must have brought back painful memories. He had to wake her from what obviously was a nightmare.

The young Hyuga shook her softly and when she opened her eyes it almost broke his heart. Her eyes were full of hurt and sadness, but the most heartbreaking thing was the deep and endless pain he could see in them. The moment she seemed to realize that she was no longer asleep she sat up.

"I'll sleep on the couch. Sorry for disturbing you."

She was about to stand up, but Neji hold her back by the wrist. He knew she was closing up again, trying to be strong and keeping everything to herself, but this time she had him and he would help her. Softly he lay a hand under her chin to made her face him.

"You said you trust me, so tell me what happened. I won't judge you." It was true he wanted her to tell him what was paining her so much. It was a strange feeling for him to care so deeply for someone, but with her he felt the need to protect her despite knowing she was an excellent fighter. For a moment he saw her hesitant before she buried her head in his chest, clearly not able to show him the pain in her eyes. When he felt his shirt getting wet he knew how much she must have hold back. When she spoke up her voice was a whisper, almost if she was afraid someone else would hear her tell her story.

"Mikari was right you know. My parents really left me." At that Neji lay an arm around her and pulled her closer to his chest in a protective manner. "I was never the girl they wanted me to be. My mother wanted me to take part in beauty pageants, but I was never pretty enough. My father wanted me to be a great athlete, but I was never strong enough. When they had their first huge fight because of me they decided I was no longer worth it." Neji's arms tightened around her. How could they have been so cruel to her? "When I came home from school one day I found a letter saying they left to purchase their own goals. A week later a family, who my parents had sold our house to, kicked me out and I had nowhere to go."

Tenten began shaking with emotions and all Neji could do was hold her. Her next words came out in a sob. "If it hadn't been for the old lady who found me that night on a bench in the park I probably would have... it was the coldest night of the year... it was winter."

Neji couldn't believe his ears. He had thought Hiashi was cruel, but Tenten's parents had been so much worse to her daughter. How long had she kept this all inside? He had to know.

"How old were you back then?"

"I was thirteen." That young? She had lived with all of that for four years? She was even stronger than he thought. "The old lady was very kind to me. She offered me to stay in the flat above hers if I helped her around the house. I did and as soon as I could work besides going to school I did to pay her back. She never asked me what happened and I never told her, but I was happy to have someone who cared for me after my parents abandoned me. However in the elite school my parents had send me in long before they left it got worse."

Neji mentally thanked the old lady for what she did. There were not much people who would have done that.

"Mikari's parents knew the family that had moved into our old house, so she knew about my situation. From that moment on she made my life worse. She told my other classmates and one day they grouped up against me, but I already told you about my shoulder. People were always cruel to me."

That was the moment Neji felt Tenten break down. Her whole body shook with sobs and her hands clenched in his shirt. Neji stroked her back soothingly and felt like hurting the people who did this to her. She didn't deserve what had happened to her. Now he could understand why she had wanted to keep her job and her scholarship to herself and he knew now why she didn't trust anyone enough to tell her life story. Knowing all that, it meant even more to him that she had told him, that she let herself break down in front of him, that she trusted him so much. In that moment he promised her and himself that he would always protect her and never hurt her.

When she quieted down he spoke to her in a soft and gentle voice, so unlike himself.

"Your parents don't deserve a daughter like you. You're too kind and kindhearted for them, not to mention neither your father nor mother was right about you." At his words she looked at him for the first time since she had told him everything. He could see her surprise and he had to wonder if no one ever told her what an amazing person she was, how strong and so unbelievably beautiful. However he wasn't ready to tell her this, because that would mean he had to admit to himself that he cared for her more than for a friend and he wasn't quite ready for that.

"Neji..."

"It's the truth, never believe anyone who says otherwise." He felt her lay her head back down against his chest and nod.

That was how they fell asleep, tangled in each other and closer than ever before.

In the morning Hinata found them exactly like this. She had wanted to see if Neji and Tenten had arrived yesterday night, but what awaited her in Neji's room surprised her. One of her best friends and her cousin in such a loving embrace was something she would never have guessed. She was about to retreat when a voice stopped her.

"Good morning Hinata." Her cousin opened his eyes now and seemed wide awake.

"Good morning Neji. I didn't want to disturb you I just wanted to see if you arrived safety yesterday night."

Hinata saw how Neji nodded in understanding and was surprised he didn't change his position now that she was present. He didn't seemed to care that Tenten was still cuddled up to him and he was holding her as close as he could. A light smile entered her face, it seemed Neji stood to Tenten no matter what others thought and Hinata hoped her cousin finally found happiness. Somehow she doubted that one of them knew how much in love they were with each other, but she had no doubts that they would get there in time. Both of them seemed to have a burden that they shared with each other. With Tenten she didn't know what was laying so heavy on her heart, because the brunet never told anyone, but with Neji she knew about his burden. Both of them deserved happiness and when they found it in each other it was more than good. Suddenly Hinata's thoughts were interrupted by Neji.

"We came back late last night. Tenten is still very tired, could you make sure that no one wakes her up for at least an hour." His meaning, that he would stay by her side as long as she was asleep, was clear to Hinata.

"Of course." She smiled and left the room.

Hinata felt like one hour wasn't enough, so two hours later she reentered the bedroom after knocking.

"Everyone is awake now and we are about to have breakfast."

"Of course we're coming." Hinata nodded in understanding before Neji spoke up again. "Thank you Hinata."

His cousin's eyes widened in surprise. Never had Neji thanked her for anything. It was clear that he was thanking her not for only calling them to breakfast, but more so for not going to tell anyone about how she had found them.

Before Hinata closed the door she could see how Neji softly stroked Tenten's cheek and called her name in a gentle voice Hinata never heard him use on anyone before. These two still seemed to have a long way to go until they would admit their feelings for each other, but for now the deep care they felt for one another was enough for both to handle. Hinata could only hope that both of them would finally find happiness in each other.

Hinata's hopes weren't disappointed when a few weeks after they arrived back home from their holiday Neji for the first time in his life opened up and trusted a person so much to tell his secret.

It was a warm summer morning but despite it being a Monday Tenten wasn't on her way to school. When Neji had told her his father's death day Tenten had memorized it, knowing how important his father had been to him. Today was the day and she wanted to be there for him. Neji had often told her that he used to train near the beach with his father on a small beach and she was sure he would be there right now.

Even from a far she could see the lone figure sitting on a bench near the beach. It was eight in the morning so everyone was at school or work. Slowly she approached him and sat down next to him. After a while he spoke up.

"You are not in school." It was more a statement than a question but Tenten answered it none the less.

"I know what today means to you so I wanted to be there for you." She said softly and entwined her fingers with his on the bench.

He squeezed her hand and they sat in silence. The young woman didn't await that Neji would tell her what happened and she didn't want to force him. She was content sitting here with him and letting him know he wasn't alone, so she was surprised when he began talking.

"It's common knowledge that I want to fight Hiashi, but no one knows why." Tenten heard how hard it was for him to talk about it and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "My father and Hiashi were both professional fighter and one day Hiashi should fight the reigning champion, but he was too cowardly to do it. So my father went instead disguising as my uncle. The champion hurt him so hard that my father didn't wake up after the fight ended." Tenten saw his other hand clench into a fits. "Hiashi told everyone my father wanted to fight because so he could be champion, but the truth is that my father did it to protect Hiashi. I want to become such a good fight as my father was."

"Your father would be proud of you and I'll help you with your training as long as it takes for you to be ready to beat Hiashi."

"Thank you." It wasn't only meant for the training, but also for being there with him. He never told anyone before the truth behind the Hyuga tragic, but her he trusted completely. Unknowingly she had become the most important person in his life and he slowly began to realize how much he felt for her.

Both of them had shared their secrets only with each other. However one secret was still kept and that was how deeply in love with each other they were, but maybe one day they would share this last secret with the other and could finally be happy.

* * *

A/N: I don't know if anyone noticed, but I tried to always change point of view when Tenten and Neji looked into each other's eyes. Anyway hope you enjoyed my story :)


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